Japanese Emperor, Empress Begin Three-Day Visit to UK

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Facts

  • Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako arrived at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, where they were greeted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla as they began a three-day state visit to the UK.1
  • Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako arrived at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, where they were greeted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla as they began a three-day state visit to the UK.2
  • The King and Queen gifted the Emperor and Empress a signed photograph of the Japanese couple. In return, King Charles was given a Wajima lacquerware box, and the Queen received a Saga Nishiki brocade handbag.3
  • The King also gave his Japanese counterparts a tour of the Japanese collection of artifacts in the Royal Collection. The Emperor previously spoke fondly of memories from his time at Oxford University in the 1980s.4
  • The state visit — which had been delayed since 2020 because of COVID — reportedly aims to see the two nations strengthen military, scientific, and cultural ties.2
  • Following the opening festivities, which include a formal state banquet on Tuesday evening, the Japanese royalty will visit the Kew Gardens in London on Thursday, which consists of a collection of Japanese bonsai trees.5
  • While both Rishi Sunak and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer will attend the state banquet, the Emperor and Empress will not visit 10 Downing Street given how close the country is to its election.1

Sources: 1BBC News, 2Reuters, 3The Telegraph, 4barrons.com and 5New York Times.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Council on Geostrategy. The history of the 20th century shows the importance of state visits like these. While the UK and Japan held a 20-year alliance at the beginning of the last century, that quickly fell apart thanks to World War II. Likewise, the UK and its Japanese counterparts must maintain strong diplomatic and military cooperation today in the face of a growing Chinese military power.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by eastasiaforum.org. While ruling Japanese politicians are fully on board with the West's geopolitical agenda in East Asia, the Japanese people are not. Japan shouldn't risk collapsing its successful history of pacifism simply to appease the West. Instead, its leaders should listen to the will of the people and spend equal time on strengthening ties with both the West and China.

Predictions